The Trump administration is taking it one step further to crack down on immigration. Yesterday, Trump signed a proclamation to deploy National Guard troops to the southern border of the United States.

His order is way to cut down on illegal immigration from Mexico into the U.S. While illegal immigration was recently reported at an all-time low, the Department of Homeland Security said it was on the rise. Illegal immigration at the U.S.’ southern border increased by 37 percent from February to March and by 203 percent from March 2017, NPR reported.

“The numbers we’re releasing for March will indicate a staggering increase from last year,” a senior administration official said on a press conference call. “As of last April, we were at historic lows. We are no longer at that point.”

Kirstjen Nielsen, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said that the order would have the department and Pentagon working closely with governors of the bordering states.

“Our current border security and immigration laws fail the American people,” Nielsen said. “The system rewards bad behavior. It does not punish lawbreakers. It undermines our nation’s economic interests.”

The number of National Guard troops being sent wasn’t revealed, but Nielsen said that the deployment would happen as soon as possible.

Trump led on to yesterday’s announcement in a tweet on Tuesday saying that he was planning to secure the border in a more militant way.

“We’re going to do some things militarily,” he said. “Until we can have a wall and proper security, we’re going to be guarding our border with the military.”

While this is “certainly not something that the Mexican government welcomes,” Gerónimo Gutiérrez, the Mexican ambassador to the U.S., said the Mexican government is waiting for clarification from the Trump administration regarding the proclamation.

“We’re trying to find the best ways to manage migration flows in a way that it’s respectful both to the laws of the United States and Mexico,” Gutiérrez said.

Ashley is an editor, social media content manager and writer at NationofChange. Before joining NoC, she was a features reporter at The Daily Breeze – a local newspaper in Southern California – writing a variety of stories on current topics including politics, the economy, human rights, the environment and the arts. Ashley is a transplant from the East Coast calling Los Angeles home.

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